Page 36 of A Hint of Delirium

Ansel easily swerved out of the way, grabbed the intruder’s wrist, and twisted it until he dropped the taser. “I don’t think so. Let’s play nice.” He pushed the man forward, back into the apartment, and then Ansel elbowed him in the face, quickly following up with a jab to the throat. As the man wheeled backward, Ansel caught my mom with waiting arms. It all happened so fast and so smooth, if I would’ve blinked, I would have missed it.

Seeing his quarry had been captured, the man tried to run out of the apartment, but Ansel tripped him and made him fall flat on his face. Gently placing my unconscious mother on the floor, Ansel walked over to the man. He grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back to face him.

“Who sent you?” he growled. The man kept quiet as they stared each other down. Ansel lifted his hand and vines burst through the front door, slithering their way toward them until they wrapped around the stranger and vined up his legs, then his torso, then his neck, choking him. “I’m not going to ask again,” Ansel warned.

The man’s eyes widened in horror at the vines that inched and squeezed the life out of him, then his eyes narrowed at Ansel. “Of course, she’d be consorting with the fae,” the stranger choked out. He moved something around in his mouth and clenched his teeth; in seconds, he began to convulse. In the next instant, foam bubbled from his lips and he died right before our eyes.

* * *

Ansel openeda portal and transported us directly to his apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. He carried my mother into his bedroom and laid her upon the bed, covering her with blankets and closing the door. When he emerged into the living room, he stopped in front of me. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” His eyes were wild as they raked me up and down for injuries. He cupped my face, brushing my hair away.

My stomach fluttered and my earlier bravado faltered. I wrapped my arms around my mid-section. “I’m fine,” I mumbled. “Just a little bruised.”

He nodded. “Who was that?”

I shrugged, bewildered. “I don’t know. I thought they were Unseelie.”

Ansel shook his head. “They were human.”

Oh.

I didn’t have any answers for him. My mother wasn’t in debt that I knew of, so we wouldn’t have loan sharks after us. And it seemed they were after my mom, specifically. I couldn’t think of another reason why someone would want to abduct or harm her in any way.

Well, except for maybeonereason. But I couldn’t mention that tohim.

“Could anyone be after your mother, Vi?” Ansel asked with furrowed brows.

I shook my head, studiously avoiding eye contact.

He sighed. “Well, when you plan to be more truthful, let me know. Until then, stay here.”

I didn’t know how long I could continue lying to Ansel. I needed my mom to wake up. She would know what to do. She had a ready explanation for everything. Or an excuse, at least.

“I need to text my mom’s supervisor to let them know she won’t be in today.” I exhaled loudly and pulled my mom’s cell phone from my pocket, which I’d had the foresight to take before we left our apartment.

“Is there a problem?” Ansel asked.

“Well … sorta. My mom is a nurse at the hospital. It’s not like she can call out at a regular job. She needs to find coverage. I don’t know any of her co-workers who can cover her shift,” I sighed.

Ansel took the phone away from me. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it.”

I frowned. “How?”

He smirked. “We’re fae. We have our ways.”

* * *

My mom slept five hours.She slowly crept out of Ansel’s bedroom, unaware where the hell she’d been taken, slowly walking into the living room where she found me.

“Violet!” she exclaimed as she rushed toward me.

I jumped up from the sofa and hugged her. “Ma!” She squeezed me so tightly I thought I would suffocate.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are we? How did we get here?” she asked in a rush.

“I’m fine, Mom.” I lifted my shirt to show her the bruise where the taser touched me. “Just a little bruise. No big deal. And to answer your other question, we’re in Hell’s Kitchen … at Ansel’s.”

Her facial expression darkened. “We shouldn’t be here.” She grabbed my wrist and started dragging me toward the door, her eyes wild.

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